The Impossible

The Impossible is a harrowing tale set around the tsunami that hit Thailand in 2004. This is one of those movies that just grabs you from the moment it starts and doesn't let up for a minute. It is a superbly made film that made me feel quite sick at points to imagine what the central characters were going through and how badly it affected the whole country. For some reason I had not thought much about the tsunami nor really understood the impact of one. It seemed to me that a wave isn't such a fierce creation of nature, but after watching this movie I have a whole new appreciation for what it means for a huge wave to hit a coastline and the damage one can cause!

The special effects in this film are brilliant. The quality of the shot when the wave hits takes your breath away, and then watching the subsequent battering Naomi Watts character receives as she is pummelled through the water with the full force of the wave throwing her around will make you cringe. The characters are very well constructed, due in part to Naomi and Ewan McGregor being formidable actors and playing their characters brilliantly. This movie might be more like a Roland Emmerich film had it not been for those two actors. They make you feel the sadness and incredible brutality of what the actual family went through (its based on a real life story) and it just hits home that something like this actually happened, deepening your connection to the story.

I sat down with my wife to finish our weekend on Sunday evening and enjoy this film, but I dont recommend it as a Sunday night affair. Its more a Friday evening movie that you can put Monsters Inc on or How I Met You're Mother afterwards to try and rid your mind of some of the images you have seen. Until you go to bed that is.

SCORE: 8/10

IMDB Info for The Impossible

Cabin in the Woods

Wanted to do a quick post on this one as I watched it a second time over the weekend and loved it again.  It will be hard to write about it without giving anything away though...

There's a lot more going on here than your average slasher and we are introduced almost immediately to an additional plot element that is just brilliant and unique.  Joss Whedon is the king of pop culture references and he uses this talent to create a script thats laugh out loud funny in some parts, a little scary in others and overall interesting and clever.  Anyone who has enjoyed his other work such as Buffy,  Angel and Firefly will immediately recognise his style here too.  I was quite surprised he did not actually direct but given the resulting film he no doubt had a lot of input there as well.  Of course credit to Writer/Director Drew Goddard also, sorry to leave you out but I'm just a bit of a Whedon fan.

I think the film received a few bad reviews from punters who were expecting a fully blown horror flick.  What you get here is so much better.  Cheesy horrors are a dime a dozen but right from the word go you can see this is not the case with Cabin in the Woods, even if they try to present it as such.  It's a great load of fun watching the movie pay the mickey out the horror genre as well as itself.

The movie has very high re-watch value and I'll look forward to chucking it on again next year. Definitely watch with mates and a few drinks.

8/10

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Looper

Wow! Actually ... WOW! This movie is written and directed by one the directors of a small show called Breaking Bad, among many of his other achievements, which if Holmsey and I had a 'Mike and Guys TV shows' blog would be almost all we ever wrote about :)

Rian Johnson actually directed two of my favourtie episodes of Breaking Bad and when I heard he had written and directed a Sci Fi feature film starring Bruce Willis and JGL (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) I almost fell off my chair. Not only has he pulled off the holy grail of an intense, clever, witty, funny, time travel, big scale Sci Fi flick but he has also pulled off one of the most stylish looking movies to come out recently. I loved this film through and through. It really had me thinking hard about which 'reality' the events were taking place in and dare I say it? Did it as well as even Inception did?!?!

Aside of all this praise, this movie is just utterly clever though. The idea is so obvious I cant believe no one has done it before, but, the film isn't done in an obvious way at all. The story he weaves and the way he presents it just makes it feel unique. Bruce and JGL also put in very believable turns as essentially future hitmen (dont want to give anything away) and the makeup and mannerisims JGL employ's are very well done to say the least. The casting is at first an odd choice but as the movie progresses you forget more about that and get more heavily involved with the emotional side of things ... again not something I often do in Sci Fi flicks.

In summary this is a great movie that I recommend for all people looking for an action/sci fi/adventure feast. Due to this the score will be a little biased as I am essentailly always looking for an action Sci Fi adventure feast!

SCORE: 9/10

IMDB Info for Looper

Silver Linings Playbook

God it's good to see Chris Tucker again :)  It may be a very well fed Chris Tucker, but who's complaining?

This flick is currently rated 8.0 with 95k + votes.  That would almost put it in top 250 of all time category. It's a good movie, not top 250 good , but good.

Your average Rom Com follows a pretty standard formula mainly geared around keeping the ladies happy but usually have some elements in there for us men. Every now and then though you get a film that throws in a bit (or a lot) extra which distinguishes it from the others.

For me, a prime example of this was Crazy/Beautiful with Kirsten Dunst and Jay Hernandez.  So much more than 'just another Rom Com' on many different levels especially Kirsten's performance, incredible.

I can say the same thing about Silver Linings Playbook.  Sure it's got the feel good falling in love and happy ending moments but there's so much more going on within the film it had me pretty much hooked.

Bradley Cooper is fantastic as Pat - a bipolar guy recently released from the Psych ward (shit, had to look it up again).  Jennifer Lawrence also great playing the love interest - Tiffany.  Robert  De Niro was surprisingly good playing the OCD father.    De Niro's great performances have been getting further and further apart but I rate this one.

Pat's struggle with his mental issues and the impact this has on his life and family create a very interesting back drop for a love story.   There's a good chemistry between Cooper and Lawrence which also adds a bit extra.

Back to Chris Tucker!  He plays a friend of Pat's from the hospital and gives his usual vibrant performance and provides some good humor.  Was a great casting choice!

Wrapping up...  It's a bit slower and deeper than your average Rom Com but for me that's a good thing.  Definitely one to watch with the partner or friends, or pet animal, or stuffed bear, whatever.

7/10

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Seven Psychopaths

31 and still have to look up the spelling for Psychopaths.. shameful.

Watched this one with Macca over the weekend.  Had a few reds so the memory is a bit hazy but what's there is all good.

Haven't heard of the screenplay writer and director Martin McDonagh before but he's definitely come up with the goods here.  It's a crazy story and I wouldn't be surprised if the main character Marty's writing block is based on McDonagh's own issues working on the script.   McDonagh introduces a number of different story threads which weave their way into a central story, if you could call it that.

The erratic story has only positive effects on the movie though and the style proves very entertaining mainly due to quirky characters played by some big name actors.

Colin Farrell - Solid performance playing a drunk irish guy... Jeez hard role for him?
Sam Rockwell - Also playing himself?  I had flashbacks to his performance in The Green Mile
Christopher Walken - Always good.  *insert accent impression here*
Abbie Cornish - Good to see an aussie girl in another hollywood film, even if it is a very minor role.  Her masterpiece was 'Candy' with Heath Ledger though which if you haven't seen I highly recommend. 
Michael Stuhlbarg - Is it just me or does this guy look too much like Joaquin Phoenix?

And last but definitely not least...  Michael Pitt. -  I still can't look at this guy the same way since 'Funny Games' but that's just a credit to his ability.

Oh wait, how could I forget Woody Harrelson? He's brilliant as the mafia boss who will stop at nothing to get his beloved dog back.  There is no movie in the world that wouldn't be made better with Woody :)

It's a pretty good recipe actually.  Start with a bit of Farrell and Rockwell,  throw in some Walken and Woody and garnish with some Peyote and you get some pretty hilarious and entertaining moments.  Quite a few 'wtf' moments as well.

Check this one out for something a bit different but highly entertaining.  Good to watch with mates.

8/10

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Premium Rush

You've probably noticed I tend to rate movies on personal enjoyment rather than a full analysis of the technical aspects.  I do this mainly because I don't know a hell of a lot of the technical mumbo jumbo and although I can identify it while I'm watching I would never be able to articulate it onto the page.  The other reason is that who wants to watch a movie with a notepad and pen spending the time worrying about these  observations?  I much prefer to completely immerse myself and enjoy the separation from reality for a couple of hours.

Anyway, this tends to be why a lot of my scores are probably a bit higher overall.  Movies can be bad in a lot of regards but there's usually something positive that I like to focus on and block out the rest.

Premium Rush is one such film.

The story is recycled garbage and the characters are about as deep as my pockets after a Vino Mofo Pants Off Friday, but who cares if that's not what the movie is trying to achieve.   In my opinion,  Premium Rush aims for one thing only... to deliver a fun ride.    See what I did there? (The movie is about Bicycle Couriers).

It's fun, its exciting and some great shots & editing make for some really intense bike chases through the middle of New York.  The main character played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt likes to ride on a steel frame bike with a single gear and no brakes except the old school pedal back ones.  Although this creates some pretty intense situations on the road, as a cyclist myself, watching him bounce off cars and get back up on his bike was a little bit..... pshhhh.


I've got a huge man-crush on Joseph Gordon-Levitt so always keen to check out any movie he's in.  You have to respect the man as he did the hard yards after 3rd Rock doing a lot of small indy films such as The Lookout , Brick and Stop-Loss before he was really noticed.  Now he's a wanted man... Inception, Dark Knight rises, Looper to name a few of the big ones.  His performance here is solid but not worth elaborating on.  If you haven't seem some of the Indy films mentioned before I recommend - Brick and Lookout especially were great films.


Premium Rush is an enjoyable film for one of those nights when you can't be arsed thinking too much.

7/10

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Movies I Cannot Wait to Watch with Bay

Well, I thought I would try my hand at a general article for something a bit different (and because I haven't watched any movies yet this weekend). I was thinking today "Wow, Bay has never seen Wayne's World! How cool will it be to watch that with him for the first time?" And that got me thinking, what else can I not wait to see with him? Now, I may have watched Star Wars with him already, but shhhh, I'm pretty sure he doesn't remember!

So what are the top of my list to watch with my little man??

• Star Wars: Ok, ok, ok, ok, I know I said I had already watched it with him ... but I mean I cannot WAIT to watch this with him when he can understand what is going on. Imagine him not knowing about Darth Vader?!? Imagine not knowing what the force can do!?!? Imagine not knowing if Luke is going to be successful in rescuing Han and Chewie and Leia .. Oh, Im so jealous of him right now :)
  I really cannot wait to see his eyes light up when the Millenium Falcon gets caught in the tractor beam for the first time, or watch him come over with sadness when Darth Vader knocks Obi Wan down with his Lightsaber. I mean, its one of the reasons I wanted to become a Dad!
• The Money Pit: This one is a personal thing as I was about 8 years old when I watched this for the first time and I can still remember it clearly to this day. There is a certain scene of a bath falling through a floor which comes after a hilarious series of comical events and is the cherry on top of the proverbial cake. By the time the bath fell through the floor I was already crying with laughter .. and what can you move onto if you are already crying with laighter? Well for me it was to fall on the floor off the couch as I couldnt even control my body any more through the spasms of laughter. This is one of the single most funny moments in my life and I have never forgotten it. I, oh so, hope that Bay does the same thing when he sees it for the first time!
• Toy Story: I dont know if the quality of the graphics in Toy Story will affect Bay's enjoyment of it, or if the story line is just so strong as to make it not matter but this is thankfully one of those films we can watch together when he is still quite small. I know I could have picked pretty much any Pixar movie for this spot, but there is something about Toy Story and the fact that we can move onto the sequels and watch them together as he grows up that made me pick this as my most aniticpated title.
• The Goonies: This one is going to be awesome. It doesnt matter that it is an old 80's flick with bad clothes, bad 80's music that he wont enjoy or that it has some obvious practical effects because every young boy loves Boobie Traps, Skeletons, Pirates and most of all An Adventure! And guess what, no other movie on earth has ever been able to recreate that so perfectly on screen.
• Hook:I always thought everyone on the planet loved Hook? But now that I am a bit older I find out that many people thought it to be one of Spielberg's worst movies. How can this be? Its brilliant! Dustin Hoffman as the esteemed and scary Hook and Robin Williams as the everyman Pan is just perfect. The silly modern twist and over the top sets just make it even more enjoyable. I absolutely loved this film as a kid and I hope Bay does too :)

Alright, so maybe this was a bad idea. Now that Im on a roll I cant stop thinking of other movies!! I might need to leave it here for now and maybe do a followup post on a different slow weekend. Those of you with little people, what are your favourite movies that you cannot wait to watch with them?

Zero Dark Thirty

For some silly reason Katherine Bigelow wasn't really on my radar until Hurt Locker.  Sure she was married to King Cameron but I didn't realise she was responsible for some greats such as Point Break and Strange Days.   I went back and watched some of her earlier work such as Near Dark which wasn't too bad either. She is a very talented director.

I have some mixed feelings about Zero Dark Thirty.   First let me start with the positive.  Incredible camera work done in really amazing locations gave this film the realistic atmosphere it needed given the subject matter. There is no doubt the film-making production wise is of the highest of quality - no issues there.

The attack of Osama's compound was so intense I think I forgot to breathe and nearly passed out halfway through.  "Holy Shit!" are the only words I can think of which suitably describe this.

So what the fuck happened to the first half of the movie?   I watched this one with the big feller (Guy) himself and about 40 minutes in we had some worried looks on our faces.   It was boring.. plain and simple.
Don't get me wrong, I love a good slow build up but something was off here.  Did we really need to see all that torture?    I'm trying to think of other stuff but coming up blank - it was that unmemorable.

Bigelow is a master of tension..  Remember Hurt Locker defusing that car bomb. . .farkkkk.

I didn't get any of this in the first half.  We all KNEW it was building up to the capture but it really didn't feel like it.  Was that the entire point? Maybe, but makes for some slow viewing.

While I'm bitching I might also say that the movie didn't really drive home the absolute commitment of the main character to finding him.  Showing her scribble a day count on the bosses window doesn't really cut it.  No doubt there was an incredible amount of research going on it would have paid to show a little bit of this hard work.

Anyway the end makes it a destination worth the ride.  I think I will give it another go on Blu-ray and see if I still feel the same way about it.  Could have been in the wrong mood? Who knows.

7/10 - Saved by the bell, I mean compound invasion.

IMDB Info

Edit:  This was another down point for me.. I can't take this guy seriously ever since King Kong...

Skyfall

It's not fair to the classics to call Skyfall the greatest Bond film of all time, but I really want to.

With Bond films you take the good with the bad.   For me personally there were always a few that stood out so far amongst the rest.  Thunderball and Goldfinger especially were exceptional movies but how can you compare them to the new?   I think we leave them as the best of their 'generation' and we rate the new additions against their own class.   That makes it even easier for Skyfall as apart from Casino Royale, modern Bond films have been a bit of a joke.

Skyfall is undoubtedly the best Bond film of our generation. From the director of one of my favourite films of all time - American Beauty, Sam Mendes has some uncanny ability to add incredible beauty into all of his work.  It was this beauty that screamed out at me the entire film.  The filming locations were just stunning. I don't know how long they had to wait for a clear shot over Shanghai but it was worth it.  My favourite though, was a scene towards the end in the Scottish manor where Bond was raised.  Mendes managed to capture it perfectly.   I wish I knew the terms to describe it properly but let's just say he nailed it.

So what makes a good Bond film?

The Intro...check.  The intro to Skyfall held true to the Bond tradition but really took it to the next level.  It was quite a masterpiece and set a great tone for the remainder of the film.

Beautiful Women...check.  Although the lack of boobage was slightly disappointing.  That's one Bond tradition they should change!

Gorgeous Cars and Car Chases...check

Bond Himself...almost check.  Let's face it, Daniel Craig is no Sean Connery but if you ignore his constant pouting he's pretty good.

The Villian...CHECK!    Javier Bardem is the perfect Bond Villain - "Silva".   His performance is chilling and unique.  We are first introduced to him with an incredible long single shot as he walks towards a Bonded Bond (sorry couldn't help myself) and I was captivated just watching him move towards the camera.  Anyone who has seen No Country For Old Men know of his talents and he doesn't let you down here. 

Q's Toys... Check. Bond getting his new toys was always a favourite part of mine in each film.  Mendes has a bit of a different take on it this time and I believe this was his way of saying "I don't need gimmicks to make a good Bond film".  Brilliant :)

Dry Vodka Martini, shaken not stirred... Check

Skyfall gives us all of this and then some.  I know a lot of you have probably been put off of the Bond franchise over the years due to some woeful releases, but this film makes up for them all.  Do yourself a favor and go see it in the cinema, or if you missed the window wait for what I'm sure will be a nice crisp Blu-ray.

9/10

IMDB Info

Lockout

This is just a real quick one to say I watched this over a red and really enjoyed it.  Its a good fun ride carried by Guy Pearce's performance and witty character.   An interesting story supported by good humor and some decent action. 

It's not going to win any awards but if you're after a bit of a no-thinker I recommend.

Also worth mentioning a good performance from one of the actor's from the T.V show Misfits which I quite like. Similar type role in this except a bit more extreme.   I could look up his name but I'm a bit lazy :P


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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I have not read the book this is based on, nor did I really know much about it. I knew it starred Emma Watson and that was enough to keep me interested. Not only is she rather attractive but her decision making in movies seems to indicate a sheer love of acting, and I assume she made enough money on Harry Potter to allow herself the luxury of picking things she really cares about.

How right I seem to have been when it comes to this film.

The movie was really fantastic. Its basically a coming of age story set in High School but with very real and very troubled teenagers. This isn't your typical Cant Hardly Wait but more a combination of something like ... actually I cant think exactly what it is like. Movies like Crazy Beautiful, 10 Things I Hate About You, Detachment or As Good As It Gets all jump to mind and yet its really nothing like those. The central characters are all variously troubled individuals who have a penchant for standing out in a crowd and not giving a shit. But they dont do that for attention, they do that because its them. As the movie progresses you find out more about these characters and some of the troubling acts that have occurred in their life explain more of the reasons behing them being the outspoken, individual, tough people they are.

This is a great movie to inspire and intrigue you. It would be good as a date night movie or simply one to watch on your own when you are feeling reflectful and internal. It will definitely remind you of what its like to be a young person again.

Score: 7/10

IMDB Information for the Perks of Being a Wallflower

Django Unchained - Guy

Yes, Django Unchained is so good it deserves two reviews. I saw this at the movies with Holmsey and a few others and can sum up my thoughts in a sentence simply put: its sad that the best movie Im going to see all year was in February.

Tarantino has really found his stride in the last couple of years. Inglourious Basterds took his ability to a whole new level in my eyes with its intricate, emotional and invested script, characters and plot. It weaved effortlessly through different stories culminating in one of the most shocking and sadistic endings I have ever seen.

Until I saw Django Unchained.

Keeping with his style of mutliple story lines involving different characters, all taking place in the same world at the same time, we are quickly introduced to the vibe of the film with intense and bloody violence from the moment go. From there it moves as one of the best paced films Ive ever seen. Weaving a story you can hardly believe right before your very eyes. The thing I love the most about Tarantino movies is that you know your watching a movie. The sets, the lighting, the music, the characters and the script are all shouting at you "dont worry if it doesnt look real" "dont worry if everything is over the top" "THIS IS A MOVIE! ENJOY THE SHIT OUT OF IT" and boy o boy did I enjoy it. It quite simply had everything I love in a movie. Humour, style, awesome characters, wit, parody, tension, drama, action and even a little touch of horror. I didnt care that the violence was over the top, or that the characters were so big as to be impossible. Its Tarantino. Its a Tarantino movie. So I sat there, shut up (except for laughing my ass off) and enjoyed a movie spectacle. I recommend you do aswell.

SCORE: 10/10

Post Script: This almost scored an incredible 11/10 for me, but the use at the very end of some silly Aussie characters (one played by Tarantino himself) actually introduce the first flaw into this movie. Its a pity as it was unnecessary and stood out like a sore thumb, but its defintely not enough to strip it of a 10/10. And yes Holmsey, you can indeed give it a 10! :)

IMDB Information for Django Unchained

Django Unchained

Tarantino once again proves he is the fucking man.

It's hard not going into a film like Django Unchained without high expectations.  It's also hard to not leave one of these films without being slightly (or severely) disappointed. 

I am very pleased to say that there wasn't a trace of disappointment with this film.  From start to finish it was virtually flawless in every way, including it's length.  I'm sorry to say I missed the credits as I raced to the toilets to relieve my exploding bladder.  Damn you smuggled in scotch and cokes, damn you.  Hope I didn't miss anything sneaky!

Wow, where to start?    Firstly in case you didn't know ... "The D is silent".  Don't make the mistake of calling him DEE JANGO as one poor schmo does... it doesn't fare well for him.

Set in the racist ole South during slavery times the movie wears the cloak of an Action Comedy to lighten a very dark and vile subject.   Straight off the bat we get introduced to a quirky dentist turned Bounty Hunter Dr King Schultz. played by Christoph Waltz.  You will no doubt remember Waltz for his absolutely chilling performance in Inglorious Basterds.. how GOOD was that scene on the farm?

Unlike his previous character, Schultz is a lovable man who we instantly warm to as he takes out a couple of racist whitey's and frees some slaves, including Django.  And so the story begins...

We all know that Tarantino writes a good script and creates a perfect soundtrack but I think it's his direction and unique ability to get something extra out of his actors that takes his films to the next level. 

Waltz - Absolutely brilliant playing Schultz
Foxx - Both Guy and I weren't sure on this casting, but ended up a great choice
Leo - Played the greedy plantation owner down to a T. "Gentlemen, you had my curiosity, now you have my attention!"

But as the best movies do,  just when you think it can't get any better we get introduced to Samuel L. Jackson's character Stephen.  I don't want to spoil any of his lines for ya, but let me just say he takes the film to a whole new comedic level.  Every scene he is a part of is absolute gold and rest assured he slips in a few "Mutha fuckas!" as well :).

I had a "Louis C.K" flash back moment during this film due to the incredible amount of times the word 'nigger' is used..... or should I say the "N" word (Yes Louis, I made you think of it).  But the incredibly offensive racism only served to increase the pleasure felt while watching Django blow half the white population of Mississippi into a fine red mist.

I have to make special mention to a scene involving the KKK.  The diplomatic resolution for poorly made masks had me and the rest of the cinema in stitches.  A nice little Cameo for Jonah Hill as well.  "I can't see fucking shit out this thing!"

The only negative for me about the entire experience was the introduction of some 'Aussie' characters towards the end (one of them was of course Tarantino himself).   It wasn't the terrible accents that was the worst part... I just couldn't work out why these guys would be there in the first place.  I started thinking that perhaps Tarantino was putting in some reference to Australian racism with the aboriginal people but no, I read today he just thought it would be "really fucking cool!".  Haha, that's why we love him I guess.   I suppose it didn't take anything away from the film, it was just a bit of a WTF moment.

Bottom line is GO SEE THIS MOVIE!  From start to finish the movie just screams cool like only a Q.T movie can.  I'm putting this as my favorite Tarantino movie of all time.  Massive call I know, but I'm sticking with it... at least until I watch Pulp Fiction or Inglorious Basterds again ;)

9/10  (well, 9.5 really but we stick to whole numbers and I can't give it a 10.. can I?)

IMDB Info